QRP, radio craft, homebrew, SOTA, bricolage.

Category Archives: VK3/VN-005

The Melbourne Cup, a hugely hyped horse race affords Melburnians with a three day long weekend, allowing yours truly, being disinterested in all things equestrian, a day in the Victorian mountains, my first activations for more than 3 months. Mt Torbreck VK3/VN-001 in the Rubicon Range just south of Eildon would start the day, followed by nearby Pyramid Hill and the peak in the Cathedral Ranges if time and energy allowed. Leaving Melbourne suburbs early, I turned the ignition key at 6:10am and drove towards Eildon, then south down Snobs Creek Rd to Conns Gap Rd, parking at Barnewall Plains Track by 0812, 2 hours and 2 minutes drive time. The temperature was 8.5C. The gate was open and a proper 4WD would have ploughed up the first steep section, but I happily walked the kilometer or so to the camping area then up the track to the summit. Steep, but with rewarding scenery, although the summit was in mist and just under cloud.

The Sunday of ANZAC Day weekend emerged as my first full SOTA day for 2016 and with perfect weather forecast (low 20 degrees Celsius) I was keen to have a second try at Mount Bullfight (VK3/VN-002), this time approaching it from the ridge, not the creek. Last time, on 2nd December last year, I arrived later in the day after having activated two other summits, Mt Mitchell (VK3/VN-012) and the scenic Sugarloaf Peak (VK3/VN-011). On that occasion I left Bullfight Track about 300 meters further on and encountered the creek and thick undergrowth — not easy. There is a description of the two approaches in my previous post, and a map with the two paths here. There are no paths or tracks in the vicinity of Mount Bullfight summit, so no two climbers take exactly the same way. This time I wanted to cut in from Bullfight Track earlier, close to Stillman’s Lookout sign, which others had reported as being relatively clear of the dense undergrowth that slowed me down. I also wanted to tackle it as the first summit of the day, not the second or third, with plenty of time to spare. Whichever way you take, the final ascent to Bullfight summit is a decent climb.

Mt Torbreck (VK3/VN-001) is the highest peak in a cluster of four SOTA summits in the Rubicon State Forest, south of Eildon. I planned to leave plenty of time for it as several activator’s blogs gave me the impression that there was a climb involved. Having another 8 point summit not far away was added incentive for climbing Torbreck in the morning.